President Banda's frequent and predictable international travels
have continued despite criticisms from some sections of society that forced a
press briefing by foreign affairs minister Kabinga Pande justifying the
presidential trips a fortnight ago.

This week, President Banda was in
Congo Brazzaville, days after he returned from commissioning a health training
center in Botswana where he made a stopover before proceeding to Namibia for the
Southern Africa Development Community SADC 30th anniversary
celebrations.

According to his special assistance for press and public
relations Dickson Jere, President Banda is being today expected in Mozambique
for a three-day long visit and returns home on Friday.

In an interview
with Post Online, SACCORD programmes and information officer Obby Chibuluma said
that SACCORD was disappointed with President Banda's frequent travels which had
come as a huge cost to the tax payer.

“I think as SACCORD we are
disappointed with the continued luxury and unnecessary trips by the president.
We thought that the president would reduce on this after so much criticism from
the public but we see that the president is either not interested in resolving
national issues here at home or that he does not have people who are competent
enough to be able to represent him,” Chibuluma said.

Chibuluma observed
that some of the trips are unnecessary to the development of the country and
that it is unfortunate that they have been taken on at the expense of other
pressing national issues that await to be attended to.

“Most of these
travels are costly and if the president was sending his juniors like his
vice-president and ministers, they could be less costly as opposed to a
situation where he wants to attend each and every meeting and invitation as if
he does not have ministers who can represent him,” he said.

And SACCORD
has described justifications by the government that it carries more weight if
the president himself visits a country to strengthen bilateral relations as
unjustifiable and unacceptable.

“I think what the president is telling us
is that he does not have competent people in government who can represent him
and sign bilateral agreements on his behalf,” he said.

He advised
President Banda to utilize the use for which he appointed his vice-president and
ministers and concentrate on affairs pertaining to his own country rather than
moving up and about the world.